Graphical user interface applications are available that guide a user in performing certain actions or tasks against objects in a computer system. For example, Development Center® is an application developed by International Business Machines Corporation, of Armonk, N.Y., which provides a graphical user interface that guides the user in building and testing database applications and objects. Such applications generally provide an output area, known as an output view, in which the user can view information related to the action requested. FIG. 1 illustrates an output view 12 corresponding to the user's request to build (action) Couch.Proc1 (object) As is shown, the output view contains a plurality of messages 14 that inform the user of the status of the action, eventually indicating that the action is “successful.”
The action against an object may produce a simple status message, such as that in FIG. 1, a result based on the action, and/or parameters including data that was input to the object or returned from the object in response to the action. For each new action, previous information contained in the output view is discarded. For the same action, messages are appended to preceding messages, but for another action or a repetition of the previous action, new results and parameters replace those preceding. Thus, once the user submits a new action, the user cannot access the information related to preceding actions. In order to preserve output data associated with an action, the user must execute extra steps, such as cutting and pasting the output data for the action into a clipboard, or otherwise saving the output data in a file.
In addition, problems arise when multiple actions against one or more objects are executed concurrently. In that situation, the output view either is unable to display multiple action results and messages, or produces interleaved information. In either case, the output view is of diminished value to the user.
Accordingly, a need exists for a system and method for letting the user execute and track more than one action concurrently, as well as access the results of previous actions against an object. The user should be able to retrieve not only the output data related to such previous actions, but also the parameters and the status of such actions. Moreover, a need exists for a system and method for organizing output data by actions against particular objects for easy retrieval of historical output and status. The present invention addresses such a need.